Police warning after teen house party goes bad

A knife was taken to a child’s doll and a family home thrashed during what Banbridge police said was a house party which got out of hand.

The PSNI were called to the house last Monday after reports of drinking underage and a disturbance.

The incident, last Monday, began after parents went out for a few hours leaving their son and friends at home.

“The boys were given the chance to show that they were approaching adulthood and could be trusted as such,” the PSNI said on Facebook. “That trust was seriously abused. Instead of the promised “Xbox night with a couple of mates”, they put word out of a free house.

“Fast forward a few hours and one carefully looked after home had holes in the wall and items had been stolen from the house.

“Someone had even taken a knife to a younger child’s toy doll, leaving it in pieces. Almost all of these guys were underage and, again, a large amount of drink was involved.

“The parents in question are not only trusting, but are forgiving. They stepped up as responsible parents, holding their son to account. Pocket money may be a distant memory for a good while.

“They have a list of well over 30 people who were involved and are making their parents aware. If they had chosen to wash their hands and leave it to us, we could be looking at burglary, criminal damage and theft. There are a lot of very fortunate folk out there who are being given a second chance.

“Parents- if you can trust your kids, great. If however they leave for an “Xbox night” with a crowd and a bag making “clink clink” noises, it’s maybe time to intervene. It may not be your house, but it could be your child who ends up with a criminal record if they do something stupid.

“Young bucks- I know you say we give you a hard time. We want to give you the benefit of the doubt too, but you’ve got to remember that respect is a two way thing. Treat others property like you would like your own granny treated: with kindness and care!

“We probably attend more parties as police than you will in your life time. Trust us, the best ones are the ones which don’t end in handcuffs on your way to custody.”